Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Integy High-clearance Lower Links

In an attempt to find some high clearance lower links that stay in the upright position (the aluminum Axial links spin around until they’re upside down resulting in less clearance than regular straight links), I purchased 2 sets of Integy high clearance lower links.


In the beginning, I was extremely disappointed because I could not use them on my crawler; the links interfered with the shocks. This resulted in my crawler not being able to articulate at all. At first I simply put the links away and wrote them off as a poor purchase decision. However, after speaking with a family member, he told me that he could make some “shock risers” that would allow me to use the Integy high clearance links without them interfering with the shocks. A couple of weeks later, they came in the mail.

By the way, if anyone would like a set of 4 chrome colored aluminum shock risers for $20 (they are $30 plus shipping for a set of 4 if you buy them off the internet), let me know, and I will get you a set.

I installed the shock risers and was then able to install the Integy links. The risers worked great! I was able to get a good amount of articulation after installing them.

After testing the Integy links, I was somewhat disappointed. I do like the way they look and like that they stay upright (they don’t twist around). I don’t like that they do not allow for as much articulation as the Axial lower links. I also despise the rounded diamond shape at the end of the link that attaches to the bottom of the Axial chassis (see photo). When attempting to go over rocks, wood, and so forth, the diamond gets hung up. In other words, instead of sliding along the skid plate on the bottom of the chassis, the rock, wood, or whatever else I am crawling over gets stuck on the links…not good.

To sum up, I would not recommend the Integy high clearance lower links unless you have a chassis that will allow you to keep the diamond shape of the links sitting higher than the skid plate of your crawler. If I had such a chassis, I would probably keep the Integy links on my crawler. However, until that time, it’s back to the Axial…